


The Ramifications of Fun

by Fabrisse



Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-25
Updated: 2013-09-25
Packaged: 2017-12-27 15:04:56
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,378
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/980325
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fabrisse/pseuds/Fabrisse
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jack has a definite idea of fun.  Daniel tries to convince him otherwise.</p><p>Warning: Discussions of Daniel sleeping around in college.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Ramifications of Fun

**Author's Note:**

> This was originally published several years ago in an AlphaGate 'zine.

“C’mon, it’ll be fun.”

“I have plans, Jack.”

Colonel O’Neill stopped leaning in the doorway and entered the office.

“It’s a Wednesday afternoon -- evening. You have plans. I know there are no translations due, so you don’t have to stay late – even if you do think working on languages is ‘fun.’” 

Daniel could practically hear Jack’s eyes roll. He looked up from his computer. 

“Not everyone defines fun the way you do. But, not that it’s any of your business, I’m not planning to work on translations -- not even a personal one. I have plans.”

Jack decided to take a new tack. “This is a one night thing. It’s not going to happen again for at least a year. Can’t you rearrange your plans?”

Daniel assessed him for a moment. Having Jack beg was new. “No. I can’t. But if it’s that important to you, I’ll miss tonight.” He thought a bit. “And, since this is something that I do every Wednesday – for fun – when I’m on world, I’ll expect you to join me next week.”

“Next week?”

“We’ll still be on base. Unless an emergency comes up with another team, it shouldn’t be a problem for either of us to leave by 5:30 next Wednesday.”

It was Jack’s turn to assess. “You’re not going to tell me what I’ll be doing?”

“Have you told me where we’re going tonight?”

“No, but I know mine will be fun.”

“Go ask Teal’c to go with you then.” Daniel started to shut down his computer.

“I’d have asked him to join us, too, but…”

“He has Sam watch tonight. That’s right.”

“They’re letting her out right after her physical therapy tomorrow. Jacob’s coming to look after her.”

“Janet never tells me anything.”

“So you’re coming with me tonight?”

“Are you joining me next week?”

It took a moment or two, but finally Jack nodded. Daniel smiled. “Then let’s get going.”

****

The Little League Hockey regional finals were terrific. Jack had been the assistant coach to the Wasps for most of the season, apparently. He’d wanted to be able to share his triumph.

It was a close call, but it was a triumph. A fast slap shot in the final minute of the third period found the goal, and the Wasps took the game by one point.

Daniel decided to buy the post-game pizza for the team as his contribution. Once the shouting was over and the pizzas delivered to the home of one of the team parents, Jack and Daniel were on their own.

Daniel stopped in for a beer at Jack’s. “You were right. I had fun. It’s been a long time since I’ve watched kids play hockey.”

“When did you ever watch it?”

“Back when I played it. My foster father said I had to play one team sport. He didn’t care which one. I tried soccer. I wasn’t bad. But after my first time on skates I begged to play hockey.”

“For how long?”

“I started the year I turned ten, and played until I no longer qualified for little league. Three seasons.”

Jack looked angry. “You never told me you played. I thought I was teaching you the rules way back when.”

“You never asked, Jack. You just assumed that geeks don’t know sports. And professional hockey has different rules from little league. I needed to learn them.”

Jack snorted. “Yeah. Right.”

Daniel shrugged. “I liked hearing you talk. You made jokes about the rules you disagreed with. It was fun. Besides, once I realized you'd made the assumption, there just never seemed to be a good time to correct it.”

Jack met his eyes and nodded.

“So. Did you pursue it in high school?”

“I entered high school while I was still in little league. There was no way I could compete even on the JV team.”

“I guess not.”

“Since there weren’t any real team sports I could do – I was a little small for my age at that point – I took up swimming. The local pool had swim teams by age because the schools didn’t have them by grade, so I could compete. I did the long distances. I never could manage to beat anyone on a pool length or a single lap, but I could maintain a steady stroke for a kilometer in the freestyle. The year I entered college, I was third in the state for my age group.”

“Somehow, I just never thought of you as …”

“Sporty?”

Jack rolled his eyes. “Yeah.”

“I earned my pocket money a couple of summers as a lifeguard at the YMCA pools, but by the time I was seventeen, I was working in my field.”

Jack took another swig of his beer. “It just occurred to me. You kept up really well with us on Abydos. You can’t have been out of shape. I guess I never really thought about it.” 

Jack got up to get another beer. “Football? Tell me I at least taught you the basics of football.”

Daniel crossed his heart with one hand. “Until I met you, I’d never seen the appeal of putting on padding to play rugby.”

“Ha ha. If you weren’t out of shape, and you weren’t athletic, how did you do it? Morning calisthenics?”

“No.” Daniel eyed Jack with distaste at the suggestion. “When I was going through my Alexander the Great phase, I learned the basics of the Ancient Greek competitions. Hated the wrestling, only did it for my last semester in high school and that was JV, but I enjoyed running. I continued with it. And Columbia had a pool, so I’d swim a couple of times a week.”

“So you run for fun?”

“Not anymore. Now I run so I can run for my life when I need too. Sucks the fun right out of it.”

“I always hated it. Hate it even more with forty pounds on my back.”

Daniel chuckled. “How did you survive basic training?”

“It was something I had to do to be able to fly. The academy encourages everyone to be on one team or another -- and no hockey. I love to hike – heat of summer, bleak of winter, it doesn’t matter. So I joined the orienteering team. It got me out in the countryside alone. It helped shape my career. My skill at orienteering was what got me into Special Forces.”

Daniel nodded thoughtfully. “It’s time for me to head home. Want to treat Sam and Jacob to lunch when she gets out tomorrow?” 

“Sounds good. Anything I need to know for next week?” 

“Wear comfortable indoor shoes, like for a basketball court.”

“Basketball, huh? Who knew?”

Daniel gave him a slightly evil, closed mouth smile. “Just indicating the kind of shoes, Jack.” 

Jack watched until Daniel started his car. Then he closed his door and went to bed.

*****

The following Wednesday at 5:15 Jack's phone rang. 

“Ready to go, Jack?”

“Just switched off the computer. I’ll meet you topside in fifteen?”

“Perfect. I usually just grab a taco or something on a drive through and then eat afterward. Is that OK?”

“Fine.”

An hour later, Jack was surrounded by people and noise. He’d been a little surprised when they’d come to a Presbyterian Church. He’d never pegged Daniel as particularly religious. But they’d gone into the fellowship hall rather than the sanctuary.

Inside were a drummer, a piper, a few other instrumentalists and a whole bunch of other people. At 6:30 on the dot, two people came forward, and they began to teach a reel. 

Daniel introduced Jack to a matronly lady called Fiona, and the next thing he knew he was out learning the simplest version of the dance. Daniel was somewhere over with another group. 

After that dance was over, Fiona handed him off to Diane who worked with him through the next reel, and then Jean took over from her. There was a break at 8:00 and then at 8:15, the dancing started in earnest. 

It was still going strong when Daniel collected him by eye and indicated the door at around 9:30. 

When they got out into the cool air of the parking lot, Daniel said, “Luigi’s?”

Jack nodded and climbed into his car. His calves kept vibrating all the way to the restaurant.

After ordering pasta, wine, and salad, Daniel turned to Jack. “You were looking a little flushed; I thought it was a good time to come eat.”

“Whoo, yeah. You do that every week?”

“Yep.”

“Diane asked about the ‘other friend’ you sometimes bring along?”

“Teal’c. He asked me about social interaction, so I brought him. He’s pretty good for a beginner. It’s all the physical training he’s done, I guess.”

“Teal’c. I can see it. I don’t know why, but I can see it.”

“The little kids love to ask him to dance with them.”

“There were all ages tonight. Was it pretty typical?”

“People don't usually bring the kids, except when the dances are on a weekend. It must be some school break. Some weeks have more men than tonight, but usually it’s pretty even.”

“Fiona was a pistol. She had to have ten years on me, but man, can she move. She kept telling me to pick up my pace.”

“She’s great with new people. Gets them to see the fun first and worry about their feet later. It’s why I asked her to start with you.”

“You do this every week?” This time Jack's voice was plaintive.

Daniel just smiled and nodded as his salad was put in front of him.

“How did you get involved with Scottish dancing?”

“One of my undergraduate anthropology papers was on folk-dancing groups."

Daniel realized that Jack was looking at him blankly.

"There's a dearth of untouched tribes in most cities. You have to find a group that you can work with to learn how to be a participant/observer. Re-enactors were big." When Jack nodded, Daniel continued. "I found that dance groups gave me the 'tribal' feel without having to sweat in fields or melt my own buttons. I compared an Israeli folk dancing group that we had on campus with a Scottish Country Dancing group run out of the local Presbyterian Church. I’d been going to the group on campus for a while -- I'd used it for an earlier assignment -- but I decided when the paper was done that I’d had more fun with the Scottish group.

"I think it’s the age thing as much as anything else. Everyone on campus was around the same age. At the church, I got to listen to the immigration stories of eighty year olds or, at the dances -- almost never at the practices -- I could talk to a four year old about her nursery school day. I’d never really had too much cross-generational interaction.”

“How many foster homes were you in?”

“The night my parents died I was taken to a family that specialized in recently traumatized children. About six weeks later, they moved me in with a longer term foster family since Nick hadn’t taken me or let me go for adoption. In the meantime, some colleagues of my parents applied for me and went through the background checks that let them take me in. I moved in with them about fifteen months after I lost my parents.”

“So they were the ones that said you had to play team sports.”

“Exactly. They were both geeks themselves, and they knew I might have a hard time fitting in. I was nine and had tested in to eighth grade; they compromised by having me go into sixth -- mostly because my math was a little weak. Having an age based group activity let me develop a little better socially. The exercise was probably a huge plus, too.”

“Did they have any kids?”

“Their only son was already grown and married. They were good people, Jack. I was lucky that they loved my parents enough to love me.”

“I’m just glad they taught you how to have fun.”

Daniel slapped his hand flat against the table startling Jack.

“You’ve been running variations on that theme since we visited the Oban.”

Jack took in the harshness of Daniel’s look. “OK. I’ve obviously offended you, but I’m really not sure how.”

“Sam was hurt -- really hurt -- by your comments implying how dull she was. And I don’t like the attitude much either. You have intellectual fun. Or have you just been putting up with me when we play chess? Why do you have a telescope on your roof, if not for fun?”

“I like stargazing. But I don’t think of it as something I do for fun. I do it because I like it.”

“I’m not sure I get the distinction.”

Jack looked Daniel over; he seemed pensive now rather than angry. “Fun is mindless. Fun is designing and building your own kite and seeing if it will fly. It’s the exhilaration of swimming a coral reef and finding all the life down there.”

“So if you designed the kite and someone else tested it…?”

“It wouldn’t be fun. It could be enjoyable, but not fun.”

“Then for you fun always has a physical component?”

Jack thought it through before he answered. “Right. Sports are fun. I can see why your dancing is fun – though I’d never have suspected it of you. It’s why sex is fun.”

Daniel was lost in thought for a moment. “Let me see if I can follow your logic. Sam learning about a new type of generator might be enjoyable for her, but it wouldn’t be fun because there’s no physical component? Would stripping and fixing her bike be fun because she’s working with her hands?”

Jack grinned. “Now you get it. Translations: I guess I see how you can enjoy it, but I don’t get how it could be fun.”

“How about the emotional and intellectual sides of sex?”

“They’re great. Sex is always better when you care about the other person or have something to talk about,” Jack saw that Daniel was trying to stifle a laugh, “Like you’re mister ‘love ‘em and leave ‘em,’ Daniel.”

“No, not anymore.”

“Not anymore? When were you ever?”

“That’s another thing I resent, Jack. That's not the first remark you’ve made that implies I was some sort of virgin when I met you.”

“Of course you weren’t. You were, what? Twenty-eight years old? 

"Thirty."

"Jesus. I hope you weren’t still a virgin.” Jack gave a little laugh. “But you did come across as a little naïve back then. I know there was Sarah, but how many other women had you had relationships with? Two? Three?”

“Define relationship. Do you mean how many I slept with? Or how many did I have an emotional investment in?”

“C’mon Daniel, with you it would be the same thing.”

There was a long silence. Jack stopped smiling and met Daniel’s eyes. Daniel held Jack’s gaze and shook his head.

“No, Jack. It’s the same thing now. I haven’t done casual since I got my first Ph.D. But if you don’t think I had a time where I slept around just because I enjoyed sex, you’re mistaken. I’ll answer your question if you’ll tell me first. Before your wife, how many women?”

Jack thought for a moment. “Answer me this first: how old were you when you lost your virginity.”

“It was May of the year I turned twenty – between final exams and graduation.”

“I lost mine at fifteen.”

“Which doesn’t answer the main question.”

Jack sat for a moment obviously counting. “More than I’d realized. About forty. You?” 

“Take a wild guess, Jack.”

“Not counting Sarah and Sha’re… I guess two.”

“Multiply it by 100.”

“You slept with a hundred women?” 

“I said multiply.”

Jack’s jaw dropped. “You’re kidding.”

“Why would I joke about it? I’m not ashamed of it. I’m not proud of it either. I was young; the women were willing. It was fun.”

Jack signaled their waiter. “Check, please.”

“Jack, are you OK?”

Daniel looked the bill over and put out some money. "It's on me. Want to come back to my place for a cup of coffee?"

Jack checked his watch. “Damn. It’s late. Can we pick this up on Friday? Bring whatever you want to drink. We'll order in."

"Jack?"

They began to walk to their cars. 

"I'm fine. Somehow… but it's late and we can talk about this on Friday. Or, do you have plans on Saturday night?"

"Yes, but you're welcome to join me."

"Dancing again?"

"Completely different type, but yes."

"I'll come along. Give me a few more hints this time."

"Sure, and if Friday's still OK, I'll join you for Chinese. We can play chess."

"Yeah. Sounds good." 

Daniel leaned against Jack's truck. "Jack, I'm sorry if this has changed your opinion of me. I value your friendship, you know."

"No. It's not that. I just… It's me. I always thought I needed to bring you out of your shell, and I guess I never realized that you were in that shell by choice."

"See, now that's where I'd like to tease another definition out of you. I have a few very close friends. I have a much wider circle of acquaintances. Sometimes, I'll see if one of the acquaintances is someone that I can bring into the closer circle, but because I have you, it's fine if it doesn't work out."

Jack placed his hand on Daniel's shoulder. "I've probably never said this, but I value our friendship, too. Highly."

Daniel nodded and hit the unlock button on his key fob. On the drive home he contemplated the meaning of the pronouns "your" and "our" in the context of friendship. While he was brushing his teeth, he decided Jack's way was better.

*****

Friday night found Daniel and a bottle of Riesling at Jack's front door. The Chinese delivery came up before Jack had answered, so Daniel paid for it and had it ready when Jack got to the door. 

"Sorry, I was in the shower. I don't think I'll ever feel completely clean again after that explosion."

"I can't believe some raw lieutenant thought a cherry bomb in a toilet would be funny at a facility with the kind of security we have. I got very little done today thanks to emergency procedures."

"If it's any comfort to you, said 'raw lieutenant' will be spending time cleaning latrines with an infant toothbrush and Ajax."

Daniel grinned. "General Hammond is making him clean up his mess with a toothbrush?"

"No. General Hammond has ordered him to clean every latrine in Cheyenne Mountain with a toothbrush -- including NORAD's since they had to lose work during the 'emergency' as well. Lieutenant Idiot will be sleeping on base with no down time until he's cleaned them all."

"Five years ago, I might have found that a little harsh. Four years ago, I would have wondered about Lieutenant Idiot's motives. Now, I'm satisfied that General Hammond is doing it right. Is this progress or callousness?"

"Progress. His motives don't matter, and his little prank cost the taxpayers over a million dollars. He's lucky Hammond didn't decide to court martial him or make him repay every penny."

"A toilet cost over a million dollars? I thought the Pentagon stopped buying $700.00 hammers back in the seventies."

"They did. But the total number of man hours lost while we evacuated the non-essential personnel from the mountain, the money spent running the Stargate to get the sick and wounded to safety -- Didn't you hear Sam swearing? Trying to run on crutches isn't fun -- and the expense of running the long diagnostic on every single system does."

"Ouch. Infant's toothbrush, you say?"

"He has to damp the toothbrush, sprinkle just enough cleaner on it, and scrub. Sinks, urinals, and floors too. But he won't be court martialled, his rank won't be reduced, and he just might learn not to be Lieutenant Idiot again."

"Progress."

There was a long silence.

"Daniel, it's none of my business, but I still … two hundred?"

"It's an approximation. When I was studying at Cambridge, I never slept alone unless I wanted to. I was young enough that I didn't want to very often. My first night at a pub a woman about my age came up to me and said something to the effect of, 'you're fanciable. Want to come home with me?' After that, sometimes I made the offer -- and there were women that I stayed with for a month or more -- but more often a lady or occasionally a gentleman would ask me straightforwardly for a couple of hours between the sheets. I was twenty. I'd just discovered that I liked sex. Of course I said yes. A couple of them became really good friends."

"Gentlemen?" Jack took white and moved the first pawn in the game.

"I usually said, 'Have you met my housemate, Graham?' and Graham would proceed to charm the socks off them. Later he'd work his charm all the way up."

Jack responded to Daniel's opening chess move. "Just so I'm clear, I'm more worried about what it says about my early judgment of you than anything else."

"I'd been a hermit for a couple of years by the time Catherine found me. My break-up with Sarah hurt and didn't heal well because we worked together. Then she and Steven became an item and that hurt too. It's no surprise that you typed me as sexless at first. I'm a little surprised that you were still treating me like I was sexless after Sha're."

"No. Not sexless. Oblivious to the people who were trying to comfort you horizontally."

Daniel snorted. "That was just good manners on my part. I know some people were offering more than tending my fevered brow. But I wasn't interested in anyone but my wife. Clueless seemed to be a nicer way of handling it than open rejection."

"I've done that myself a couple of times." Jack contemplated his next move. "Shyla?"

"Nothing happened. She had dreams for her wedding night. Emotionally she was a teenager -- a young teenager at that."

"The Destroyer of Worlds?"

Daniel's jaw set. "First you tell me: you and Sam?"

"Never happened, never will." It was clear Daniel wasn't going to say anything until Jack filled in the details a little. "If I say, 'I should have bought a red convertible,' will you let it drop?"

"Sure, Jack." Daniel fiddled with his bishop a moment before moving it. "Yes. Ke'ra. Not to put too fine a point on it, she was my type. Bright, pretty, willing to make the first move. I hadn't been with anyone -- well, not in my right mind so don't bring up the Touched virus -- since I lost Sha're to Apophis. I hadn't wanted anyone else. It was the first time in my mourning that I really realized that Sha're was dead and gone. Ke'ra was an unattached -- so far as we both knew -- lovely woman who offered."

"Yeah, well, I went back to my office and banged my head against the wall after that 'real peach' remark."

"It hurt, Jack. Mate in three moves."

Jack knocked over his king. "I'm sorry."

"No reason to be any more. You were right. One of the people I still know from my university days wrote me a rambling email about sleeping with any woman with a pulse for the first three months after his wife left him. I guess Ke'ra was my equivalent."

"I could have been better about it. I should have known you'd need someone to reach out to. I was so busy trying to give you space to mourn, that I didn't think about it."

"Jack, no one knew what I needed or wanted at that point, including me. You were a good friend. If I'd known how to reach out, maybe we both would have done things differently. But you were and are the best friend I've ever had. In spite of Ke'ra, Laira, Nick, my appendix, your red convertible moments, that stupid undercover op -- in spite of all the worlds we've set foot on -- you've been a good friend to me. I hope that in fifty years, we'll still be playing chess and going out to games or to dance because I like having you as my friend."

Jack was tempted to make a joke to lighten the mood. Instead he said, "I can say the same to you. Some of it is because I tried to take care of you after you were back on Earth. Some of it was that you found ways to take care of me when I was too busy to notice underlying problems. I appreciate it. You're a good man."

This silence lasted a long time. Both men had the sense of something left unsaid, but neither could think what. They finished their wine quietly.

"About tomorrow night." 

Jack raised his eyebrows at Daniel's tone. "You're not backing out on me?"

"No, Jack, but I'll understand if you want to back out. The third Saturday of the month one of my favorite little restaurants opens its banquet room and turns it into a tango bar. Leather street shoes are fine. I don't usually wear jeans -- it just doesn't seem right for tango. I guess you could call the dress code high end casual."

"Tango. You have all sorts of hidden depths."

"Like so much of my dancing, it started as a cultural analysis for one of my anthropology courses. I found a tango café in Chicago. I didn't fit in, but I could see who was good and who was bad. I approached the couple that I'd thought the best over a couple of weeks of observation, and they became my entry to tango."

"She taught you everything you know?" 

"No. He did. He took me through a traditional tango education even though at 24 he thought I was too old to be a beginner. I had to learn the woman's part first. Once you learn to trust that your partner is guiding you well, then you can trust yourself to try to be a good partner to a woman."

"I think I'll just watch tomorrow." 

"If one of the women asks you or indicates to you that she'd like to be asked, just tell her you don't know tango. She'll keep you to the outside of the floor and help you out."

"I'll watch."

"No, you won't. I want you to have fun, and, by your own definition, fun has to have a physical component." 

"But…"

"I'll pick you up around six tomorrow night. We'll eat at the restaurant and then head to the back around eight, all right?"

Jack opened and closed his mouth. "As long as it's understood that I'm buying. You got the Chinese tonight and Luigi's on Wednesday."

"Fine, Jack. You can pay."

****

Dinner was good. They'd talked a lot about things. Daniel was still like a terrier about Jack's definitions of fun -- asking where the physical component was in flying, roller coasters, and arguing that writing constituted the physical component of translating so he was too having fun. Jack practically expected to see a tongue stuck out at him.

Now, though, they were in the back. There was a small combo in one corner and, surrounding the surprisingly large dance floor, there were tables. The management served only coffee, drinks, and a few appetizers back here. Daniel said they could get dessert if they wanted, but Jack ordered a little plate with bread, olives, and herbed cheese to go with his coffee and sambuca and Daniel ordered the same.

Their table was on a riser facing the door. Several people had waved to Daniel, and Jack was pretty certain he'd promised to dance with someone later. Daniel had introduced Jack when they'd stopped by a couple of tables, but right now they were just sitting back and watching the few couples on the dance floor.

"That couple across from us, the ones that just started dancing, are they any good?"

Daniel looked at Jack, "Why do you ask?"

"They seem a little, I don't know, showy. I mean they're good, but they're kind of flamboyant compared to everyone else."

Daniel watched them for the moment. "I'd say they're competitors. Tango for competition feels different from the kind that's done here. You have a good eye."

"Thanks. Who would you say is the best out there?" 

"The couple in the middle is the most experienced. They're good, but the guy in the green shirt, he's obviously feeling the music and his partner more."

"Which is more important, technique or feeling?" 

"Ask a thousand people and you'd get a thousand answers."

"I'm asking you, Daniel."

"I don't think you can have the proper feel without proper technique. The technique has to be there or you can't make that five-minute connection with your partner. But if you don't make that connection, then all the technique in the world isn't going to make it a good tango."

The musicians took a break. "I told Ilse I'd dance with her after the musicians came back from break."

"She's pretty."

"Very."

"Is she more than a dance partner?"

Daniel blushed. "I know it's a guy thing, but I really am not comfortable talking about that."

"Says Mr. 'Two-hundred-in-college'"

"I was trying to make a point, Jack."

"So, Ilse?"

"An ex. We like to dance together. She'll probably come back to the table for a few minutes."

"Fair enough."

"And she'll probably ask you to dance during a ladies' choice later."

"Why?"

"Because you're my friend. She's a good dancer, Jack." The musicians were beginning to return. "If you'll excuse me."

Their snacks and drinks were brought about the time the music started up. Maybe it was the conversations over the past few days, but watching Daniel with Ilse was a real eye-opener. Jack had never realized how physically assured Daniel was -- probably because it was different from a soldier's assurance. Jack had always been able to peg who'd been trained in any form of hand-to-hand. Sometimes he could tell which discipline just from the way a person stood. 

Daniel didn't stand like a recruit. He was occasionally sloppy in his posture, but, now that Jack thought about it, Daniel had always been graceful. 

It was somewhat disturbing to follow Daniel and Ilse around the floor -- like it was too intimate to watch. The moves weren't showy -- that couple was back again, but had been pressed farther to the edge of the floor now more dancers had arrived. Daniel moved precisely, his gaze never wavering from Ilse's. The little kicks, the press of two bodies together, it was mesmerizing. He'd googled tango earlier in the day so he knew the moves were being signaled by Daniel, but they appeared to his untrained eye to be a seamless whole.

The song ended. True to his word, Daniel brought Ilse back to their table, and they chatted. Jack could see how she'd gotten together with Daniel, but he also understood why it couldn't have lasted long. Sha're might have been uneducated, but her curiosity and thirst for learning had flashed out even to Jack who'd spent little time with her. Ilse was passive -- intelligent, well informed, but not a thinker. Daniel was sweet with her, but Jack had never seen him so superficial before. Tango and some past history were all they had in common.

Another man came up to the table and asked Ilse to dance. There was a woman two tables over making eye contact with Daniel. "Do you mind, Jack?"

"You came to dance."

"I don't want to desert you."

"I'm enjoying the atmosphere. I like watching the dance floor."

"Thank you." Daniel wandered up to Miss Eye-contact and led her to the floor.

The music this time was more insistent. A singer had joined the band, and it changed the style of the music. Daniel's movements were just as graceful, but more predatory somehow in response to the music.

The pattern repeated throughout the evening. Daniel would dance one and sit one out. He'd been right; Ilse asked Jack during a Ladies' choice and gave him his first introduction to traditional tango. Jack was very pleased when Daniel told him that he looked good out there.

Jack asked a couple of women to dance, always explaining how new he was to it. Most accepted him and by a quarter to midnight he'd really begun to feel the atmosphere of the place.

At Daniel's glance up from the dance floor, Jack signaled the waiter, and paid for the drinks and finger foods.

They went back to Daniel's car. "Did you enjoy it?"

"More than I expected to. It's a different vibe from the Scottish dancing. I just wish I knew how to do it better."

"Ask someone to teach you."

"All right. Daniel, would you teach me?"

"I was thinking more along the lines of Ilse or -- you and Georgia really looked nice together. She'd be a good teacher, I think."

"I'm sure she would, but while I was out there I think I got why the men have to learn the women's part first."

"All right. Are you sure?"

Jack thought for a moment. "I am. I know it's nowhere near enough time, but if this isn't happening again for a month, I thought you might be able to show me the basics."

"It *would* only be the basics. If you want more, please let me set you up with a better teacher."

"I've heard you teach. You're fantastic at it."

"Not this kind of teaching. I thought you fell asleep through most of my lectures."

"If we have a problem, I'll have you ask someone else take over."

"OK. When do you want to start?"

"We could practice Tuesdays and Thursdays?"

"I don't have other plans, so yeah. As long as we're on world. I don't think we can explain dancing together to Teal'c and Sam."

Jack laughed. "Probably not. Want to start the first lesson tomorrow? You can stay at my place tonight, and we'll grab breakfast in the morning."

*****

It was a good plan. They'd slept late, gone for a run together, and read the morning paper at a coffee shop near Jack. 

In the middle of the afternoon, Jack asked Daniel if it was time to start the lessons.

"Sure, Jack. Do you have any music that would work?"

A look through Jack's CD collection finally turned up an entire CD of tango music. 

Jack shrugged, "I think I got it from the Kris Kringle grab bag last year. Why are you laughing?"

"Who do you think put it in the Kris Kringle grab bag last year?"

At Jack's enquiring glance Daniel said, "I heard a few tracks on the listening station at Borders. Since I needed a Kris Kringle gift, I bought two."

They put the music on. At first things were awkward. Jack had taken ballroom dancing at the Academy back when it was still a requirement for an officer and a gentleman, but he'd never had to dance backwards. He wasn't used to a firm hand at his waist, and he'd only rarely been able to look a partner straight in the eye.

The plan was just to try a couple of basic steps for about half an hour. Two hours later, Jack could feel Daniel's hand signal to start. It was oddly comforting.

When the CD began to replay for the fourth time they called a halt. Jack wanted to crack a joke, but there was something about Daniel's face that kept him from saying anything more than, "I knew you could teach me."

*****

Tuesday night followed much the same pattern. Half an hour became three very easily. Jack was beginning to notice Daniel's breathing. It gave him signals before the hand at his waist did. The steps were still extremely simple, but they were beginning to move like a couple.

When Daniel left for the evening, Jack got a glass of milk from the refrigerator. He'd liked the feeling of being held by Daniel. It was a little disturbing.

The next evening saw Daniel and Jack taking Teal'c to the church hall for Scottish country dancing again. Jack noticed that Daniel had been right: the teenaged girls all wanted to dance with Teal'c. They'd left at about the same time as the previous week and grabbed dinner before Jack drove Teal'c back to the base. 

Thursday evening came, and Jack had cooked up a couple of pork chops with apples, potatoes, and onions for their supper.

"What's bothering you, Jack?"

"Bothering me?"

"You've been way too quiet."

"What did you mean when you said 'usually' you introduced guys who hit on you to your roommate?"

"That sometimes I just flat out said no."

"Oh."

"Would it matter if I'd said, 'sometimes I just flat out said yes?'"

"It wouldn't change how I think of you. Our friendship. But, yeah, it might change things."

"How?"

"I've been noticing things. No. I've been noticing you. And I've been noticing me around you."

"Which means?"

"Let's dance."

Daniel nearly said no, but something about Jack stopped him. "Sure."

The first moves were clumsy -- worse than they'd been in the first moments on Sunday. Jack was nervous and that made Daniel nervous. The music started to become more insistent, and Daniel began to lead more firmly. Jack followed and suddenly it was easy to move together.

At the end of the third song, Daniel pulled away.

"Jack, I'm not sure what's happening here, but we're going off-world tomorrow, and I think we need to talk about… whatever this is."

"I can do talking."

Daniel gave a small smile, "Sure you can, you just don't like to."

Jack shrugged. "We won't need to talk, if you'll just answer one question. Are you attracted to me? Because, much to my own surprise, I'm attracted to you."

Daniel nodded. "Barring any emergencies, we come back from M29-615 next Wednesday. By Friday, we should have finished our reports and then Hammond's promised me that we have a full week of downtime -- again, barring emergencies. I'm asking for a week to think and a week to talk."

"I don’t know exactly what this is, Daniel. Can't we just act?"

"Of course, we could. But what would we wake up to tomorrow?"

"That's the bitch of it. So. We wait. And talk."

"Got a good reason why we shouldn't?"

"I'm afraid you'll get cold feet." He met Daniel's eye. "OK. I'm afraid of my own feet catching a chill." Jack thought for a moment. "Actually, I like this idea. I can flirt with you in front of Teal'c and Sam and you can't say a thing."

Daniel's eyes lit up. "Don't be too sure about that, Jack." 

****

It had been an uneventful mission so far. The local natives decided to allow them to test the planet for various wonderful minerals in return for having these wonderful minerals as trade items. In addition, there were these weird old ruins outside town and maybe this group who came through the "eye of the universe" could shed some light on them.

They'd found a spot not too far from the ruins to set up camp. Jack checked in with Stargate Command twice a day, Teal'c assisted Daniel with certain translations from an obscure Goa'uld dialect -- it was one Apophis had used for encoding messages -- and Sam was happily analyzing some very promising soil and water samples.

At night, as they ate their MREs by the campfire, they looked up and saw the glittering rings of the Saturn-like planet this moon was circling. 

Daniel thought he was safe from any real flirting on Jack's part. They caught each others' eyes and held gazes a little longer than might be considered generally friendly, but Jack seemed content with broad topics of conversation and the pleasure of camaraderie.

Surprisingly, it was Teal'c who brought up dancing. Jack just smiled when Daniel looked over at him. 

"So, how long have you been leaving me out of this, Daniel?"

"Sam." Daniel looked affronted. "I've asked you on half a dozen Wednesdays if you'd like to come along with me. You always had something else to do."

"Not once did you mention that it was dancing."

"I didn't know it would make a difference."

"You should have trusted Daniel Jackson to have a good idea in mind."

"What about you, sir?"

"I've gone and kicked up my heels a couple of times now. And unlike you, Daniel hasn't asked me half a dozen times."

"Unlike Sam, I didn't think you'd enjoy it. I'm glad you are."

Sam looked a little mischievous. "So, know any other kind of dancing, Daniel?"

"Carter, don't you know better than to taunt Daniel? Of course he knows other kinds of dancing, and he'll tell us all about them in excruciating detail."

Daniel glared over his glasses at Jack. "Excruciating?"

Jack shrugged.

Sam said, "The best revenge is to answer the question, Daniel."

"With a partner, I've done Israeli folk dance, square dancing, Scottish country dancing, of course, vintage dancing, tango, swing, ballroom -- both competitive and social style, and for individual dancing…. Let's see. I've done hula, Zulu and Masaai tribal dancing, Indian dance -- though there aren't many types that men can do -- and belly dancing."

"Belly dancing? Did you just go to see women in filmy clothes?"

"No, Jack. Male belly dancing is different. One of the men on a dig in Turkey worked as a professional dancer when he wasn't helping on digs. I asked, and he taught me. Later I found out about less cabaret styles and delved deeper into it. Male belly dancing probably predates female."

"See, you kill all my fantasies about you surrounded by dancing girls." 

"I know of vintage wine, Daniel Jackson; what is vintage dance?"

"I guess you'd call it specialized dance. There are all these dances that were once very popular for social dancing. Very few people know them any more and the ones that do try to recreate the right type of clothing and movement in order to get into the spirit of the time. Gavottes were popular in the mid-eighteenth century, for instance, but a quadrille might have been danced anytime between about 1790 and 1890."

"Do you continue with this form of dance?"

"No, Teal'c, I don't. I only did it to help out a friend for a couple of semesters. It was all right, but there are other forms I like better."

"As in the Scottish reels."

"Exactly, that's exhilarating. You can't do it and come away without smiling."

"I'm more interested in the ballroom dancing. Did you get all dressed up for competitions?" Sam's voice sounded eager.

Daniel chuckled. "I never entered a single competition, but I learned the style to see the social interaction between the professional and amateur sides of competitive dance -- that was what my paper covered."

"So you couldn't teach me?" Her voice was mournful.

"I thought Jack told me you were required to learn it at the Academy?"

"Maybe back in his day, but by the time I was there we had about three hours of training and one formal mixer. Dad went when they required three hours of ballroom training a week for a full semester."

"That was still policy when I went. I can do a decorous foxtrot, a waltz, and I could probably pull a couple of others out of my memory if I heard the music."

"Dancing was never part of a warriors training. There were unpleasant names for those who served their god other than by force of arms."

"I can imagine there were. You seem to enjoy coming along to the Scottish dancing, though."

"I do indeed, but I would hesitate to tell Bra'tac of my participation."

Jack decided to needle Daniel a little more. "Was the social ballroom also for a paper?"

"No. I took a class in it in college to try to meet a few more women. It stood me in good stead when I went to Europe. There were several social occasions where I was expected to dance with my hostess or at least be seen on the dance floor a time or two."

"Can you do the really fast waltz like you see in the old movies?"

Daniel grinned at Sam. "Viennese waltzing? Yes, I can. I've even done it in Vienna."

"Sounds like a story." Jack was smiling as he made eye contact with Daniel.

"Sure you won't fall asleep through it?" Daniel held Jack's eyes for just a beat longer than he might have a week earlier.

"You can be interesting when you try, Daniel."

Jack was given three dirty looks before Daniel began the story. 

"All right. It was my third year in Europe. I was visiting some old friends of my mother's. They'd invited me for the holidays and helped me get privileges at a local library that had some rare comparative language specimens. Most of them were Greek and Hieratic, but a few were more obscure. Translating one of them definitively would, well did, pretty much guarantee my Ph.D. in philology. "

Jack was making little "talk-talk" hand gestures. 

Daniel glared at him. "Anyway Frau-Professor Maydell was all set to launch her daughter into society. They even had a place for her at the annual New Year's Eve ball that's held at the Staatsoper."

"I saw that on television last year, Daniel Jackson. As a ritual of renewal, it makes more sense to me than dressing up hydraulic machines in flowers."

Jack looked puzzled until Carter mouthed "Rose Parade" across the fire.

"That's the one. One of the traditions is that the opening dance is a linkswaltz -- literally, a left-handed waltz. It's difficult to learn, especially for someone who's extremely right handed, and the floor is so crowded for that first dance that there's a high potential for accidents."

"So it's the double-dog dare of waltzing."

Daniel cracked up. "Yeah, Jack. That's about right. Anyway, Louisa Maydell had her dress and her partner and was all thrilled and prepared for her debut when the aforementioned partner was diagnosed with scarlet fever. It was a bad case. There were all sorts of complications including a rather nasty bout of pneumonia. It was a week before New Year's and Louisa didn't have a chance of finding a new partner. All the eligible young men in Vienna were already spoken for."

Sam said, "So you rode in to save the day."

"Frau-professor offered to have my evening clothes made for me, if I'd escort her daughter. For the next week Louisa and I practiced four hours a day. Mostly linkswaltz and valse Vienne, but a couple of Austrian folk dances were thrown in too."

"Can you still do it?"

"Not without music."

Jack piped up. "I'll provide the music, if you'll ask Carter to dance. Can't you see she's dying to try it?"

Daniel stood and held out his hand to Sam with a formal bow. When she stood up to meet him, he helped her position herself correctly and quietly whispered a few tips in her ear. 

Sam's grin was infectious. 

When Daniel gave the nod, Jack started singing. "The Danube is green, ba-bump ba-bump. What's more it's not clean…" By the second line, Teal'c was helping with the "ba-bumps."

Daniel guided Sam around the fire in a very respectable linkswaltz. Finally her laughter overcame her ability to follow the steps, and Daniel helped her to sit back down.

He grinned at Jack. "I expected Spike Jones. I'm just shocked you didn't use armpit noises."

A gale of laughter came from Sam who slid off the log she'd been seated on. 

Jack grinned too. "Major, you can have first watch since all the exercise seems to have made you giddy. Do you prefer second or third, Teal'c?"

"Second, O'Neill. I will do a more extensive kel'no'reem uninterrupted."

"Fine, I'll take third, and Daniel can have breakfast duty."

Daniel made a face at him.

"You'll get first watch tomorrow night, I promise."

"Thanks, Jack."

On a final note of laughter, SG-1 bunked down for the night.

***  
It had been a productive mission. There was some insight into a culture influenced by both Nirti and Ra -- and Daniel was still trying to figure out why the written language was closer to classical Greek than traditional Goa'uld, Sanskrit, or hieratic -- and some cool minerals with interesting properties that would keep Sam busy for months.

No injuries other than Teal'c cutting himself on a Spaghetti-Os lid, and junior had cleared that up very quickly. Some team leaders might consider it boring, but for Jack boredom was a relief.

Since Carter's rocks were so interesting, she'd requested time on base to play with, er, study them. Daniel was also anxious to work through the translations on several artifacts he'd brought back, and he planned to throw some of the rubbings to their new Greek linguist to see how she did.

First, though, Hammond had reminded them that they all had a week's leave due. Sam's injury had prevented their taking leave after the previous mission, and he felt their recent stress levels warranted a break. Jack was one hundred percent behind him.

As they were changing after having been dismissed, Jack asked Daniel to come over for dinner. "I wish we could go somewhere neutral, but there's too much risk of being overheard. If you'd prefer your place, that's fine. Wherever you'll be most comfortable."

"And you accuse me of babbling." Daniel smiled. "I hope this doesn't sound crass, but, if the conversation gets too fraught, I can leave your place. It would be tougher to try to throw you out of mine."

"That eight story drop wouldn't be my favorite way to go either. I'll pick up steaks and a salad. You bring something for dessert."

"That works."

Three hours later Daniel was at the front door with a pineapple. "Is that your definition of dessert?"

"After a week of MREs, I crave fresh fruit and vegetables."

"Good. We have grilled corn and steamed green beans to go with our steaks tonight. I even bought eggs."

"Is this a subtle hint that you'd like béarnaise sauce on the steak?"

Jack just nodded Daniel over to the kitchen. By the time the steaks were done, so was the sauce. Daniel had also shaved the prickles off the pineapple and chopped it for later.

They kept the conversation general over dinner and dishes. Funny things that had happened on the mission were hashed over and there was even some discussion about the implications of the minerals that Sam had found versus the technology level of the inhabitants.

It wasn't until they sat down in the living room with brandy and pineapple chunks that the mood changed. Daniel started it.

"If this is just curiosity, tell me. I can decide whether to walk upstairs or out the door."

"Curiosity might have, I don't know, changed my sex fantasies or something. But if it ever got to the point of being physical, well, I could probably find a discreet club somewhere that would let me figure out my preferences without risking a friendship."

"There's no risk. As far as I'm concerned whichever direction I walk in, tomorrow we're back to friends."

"I don't know if I'm flattered or insulted."

"Try flattered. Graham tried to wear me down for two years. You've got me thinking about my own curiosity in just over a week. That's pretty good."

"Curiosity."

"If you even try to tell me you've never been curious, I'll walk out of here. You're too tactile not to have thought about it. Probably too military to have tried it, but you've thought about it."

"Twice. Once in prison, and if I hadn't managed to escape in under six months, I might have done more than think about it." Jack gave a half shrug. "The other time was right after the first trip to Abydos. Sara was gone, and I just wanted to feel. A guy at a bar propositioned me and for, oh, half a second, I considered it."

"Why not say yes? You weren't in the military any more. If all you needed was sensation, then he might have been the right thing for that moment."

"I didn't want to feel I was just using someone to get my rocks off. And realizing that pretty much kept me from hitting the pick-up bars every night. I wasn't celibate, but I wasn't just looking for a willing body."

"So. Not just curiosity. What is it then, Jack?"

"You're going to hate this, but until our conversation about your past, I really hadn't thought about what you did for sex."

"I'd be more surprised if you had. I mean other than the couple of times you've encouraged me to get out more."

"That was because I was laboring under the misapprehension that you didn't know you were attractive and were too shy to pick up a girl. I should have my head examined."

"Which doesn't answer my question. Why me? Why now?"

"That's two questions."

There was a little flash of anger in Daniel's eyes as he reached for another chunk of pineapple. "Pick one, Jack, and answer it."

"Are you OK, Daniel?"

"I'm sorry, that's the second time I've nearly bitten your head off. I'm more nervous about this than I thought. When you first mentioned it, I figured that, when the week was over, I'd be able to say something like 'Sorry, Jack. I just don't find you attractive.'"

"Well, thanks."

"That's just it. I can't say that. I've been thinking of how well we move together. I've even realized that I like your scent. I'm nervous."

Jack nodded in understanding. "'Why now?' is easier. Some of it, probably, is loneliness. Some of it is that I think you've finally finished mourning. Sha're will always be there, but you've crossed to the place where you can't pretend or forget."

Daniel's "No, I can't" was very quiet.

"About eight months after Charlie died, I saw a perfect toy for him. God, I can't even remember what it was now. What I _do_ remember, vividly, was being the next person in line before it hit me that he'd never have another birthday or need another present from me. I never forgot his death again, but I still remember how happy I was for those few minutes to have found him the best birthday gift ever."

"Holding her son -- Sha're's son -- and realizing what was best for him was to hand him back to Oma Desala was my moment of acknowledgement. It was when it truly sank in that we were never going to have children or a life together." Daniel looked at his drink and then took a swig. "She'd miscarried once. The local women took it as a good sign, oddly enough. There's a belief that a woman who miscarries the first time will never lose another child. We were so sure that within the next year we'd be parents. Here, I'm not even sure I want a child, but on Abydos, with Sha're -- and Skaara and Kusuf to be family -- I wanted to hold our children so much it was like a physical ache."

Jack rested his hand on Daniel's shoulder for a moment. "You'd have been a good father."

Daniel just nodded to himself.

"But that's only part of 'why now?' The little league game -- or rather the conversation we had after it about the sports you'd played -- got me looking at you, your physicality."

"Then let's go upstairs and play doctor. I promise I won't use any needles."

"Why are you holding yourself so cheap? Hell, why are you treating me like I don't know what I want?"

"Cheap? I'm not holding myself cheap. And I believe you when you say you want something longer term with me -- fuck buddies at least. We could do that and stay friends. But you don't want a real relationship."

"Do you think 'don't ask, don't tell' means that much to me?"

"I hadn't even thought about that, well, not tonight. Jack, a long term, serious relationship… I was going to say it could fuck up the team. It could. But that's not my hesitation."

"Talk to me."

Daniel pushed his drink away from him. "If I have any more, I might not be able to keep this civil. And I want to keep it civil, because our friendship is important to me."

"Okay." Jack looked wary.

"I'm not certain you respect me. You respect some of my abilities -- at least, I'm pretty sure you do -- but I don't think you respect _me_."

Jack was obviously trying to hold back from saying something he'd regret. "Give me an example. Other than Euronda, I was an ass about that, and I've already apologized."

"Let's take something less fraught than a mission. How about this for opposing worldviews? You won't acknowledge how I have fun. You're fine with the dancing, which surprised me a little, but the idea that I might come home and translate a love poem from an ancient tomb just for the sheer joy of finding the right words is anathema to you. If you can't respect something so basic to who I am, how can we be more than casual lovers?"

Jack stared at him for a moment. "Go use the bathroom and grab your coat. We're going out."

"Jack?"

Jack had picked up the phone and begun to dial. He made a little shooing motion at Daniel who, puzzled, went off to comply with Jack's suggestion. When he got back, Jack was putting down the receiver for the second time. "A cab will be here in about ten minutes."

"You're sending me home?"

"No. _No._ While we were camping out last week, I had lots of time to think. Don't get me wrong; I like missions where the worst injury is a tin can cut or a splinter. But, since I had nothing to do but think, I thought."

"Right. How much brandy did you have, Jack."

"Enough that we're taking a cab. You'll see. I thought about what you said, about my hurting Sam by making fun of her… fun. Can you trust me? By two in the morning, it will all be clear."

"Two a.m.?" Daniel saw hurt flicker over Jack's face. "No, I just meant I'm a little gate lagged." When Jack look reassured he continued. "Why not? We have tomorrow off."

"I don't think you'll be disappointed."

The cab honked. Jack and Daniel took their coats from the rack, and walked out the door.

****  
When they left the star chamber, Jack finally looked over at Daniel. He'd whispered to him a couple of times -- mostly when they were in regions of the galaxy that included planets they'd been to -- but he hadn't risked taking a look at him.

Jack was relieved to see a grin on Daniel's face.

"That was extraordinary. How often do they do it?"

"Friday night at eleven. That's it. They change the program every three months or so. Whenever they change the laser show."

"How did I miss a laser show?"

Jack laughed. "This is the one showing where they just let the star show they base the laser show on play without the added effects. I don't know how they pick the music to go with it, but even when it's not a style of music I like, it always seems to fit."

"Give me an example."

Daniel had the look of deep intrigue that Jack was more used to seeing on a new planet. It was kind of nice to have all the focus on him. 

"Well, about two months ago, they had different chamber groups from the college come in to play. A jazz combo, a string quartet, and a group of vocalists who did wordless spontaneous harmonies were among the ones I heard. That was a different star show. Tonight's the first time I've seen this one."

"I loved it, Jack. It was different."

"That's not why I brought you here -- not entirely, at any rate."

"Go on."

"Let's grab coffee or something."

"Sure, Jack." 

They stepped over to a small counter that sold coffee, tea, and pastries. "Grab one of the tables by the window. We should face inward."

Looking askance, Daniel went off to follow these somewhat cryptic instructions.

It didn't take long for Jack to bring over the tray with coffees and a couple of scones. "Blueberry or cinnamon?"

"You pick."

Jack reached for the blueberry scone as he slid into his seat.

"I started coming to this showing because I hate the laser shows and the daytime shows are just 'this is the planet Mars, which was named for the Roman god of war…' type things. These shows are unique."

"They are indeed. You said seeing the show wasn't the only reason you brought me here."

Jack indicated the people having coffee around them. "This is where the mating dance of the geek takes place."

He took a swallow of coffee before continuing. "You're a little bit right about respecting your abilities. I can follow Sam, at least to a certain point. But that's because her subject seems straightforward, and, face it, my degree is in engineering.

"Even though I know some of your rock walls have contained information that saved my butt, I still don't see how you can care so much about something that's dead and gone."

"So I was right?"

"A little bit, maybe. About the archaeology. But this? This I get."

Daniel looked around the bleak coffee hall. "I'll bite. What's 'this'?"

"Anthropology. Studying people. See those two?" Jack pointed at a young man and woman sitting on opposite sides of a small table. "It's their third or fourth date. She's finally let him pick what they're going to do, and she's bored to tears. It's not going to end well. But the couple across from them," Jack pointed discreetly, "he's going to get lucky. She was fascinated by the show. I'm thinking a music major, just from the way she's moving her hands."

Daniel turned to look at Jack. "Probably. It's not just her hands. I can see the pin on her jacket. It's a musical note."

Jack stole a piece of Daniel's scone. "It took me weeks of coming here even to realize that this was date central for a certain group of people. Once I did, I could read the signals pretty well because I know the culture and I used to date. What amazes me, every single time, is that you do it instantly in situations where you've been given minimal or no clues about the cultures you're dealing with. It's rare for you to misread a situation so severely that we have to run for it. Extremely rare. Coming here -- really, just getting the coffee afterwards -- made me appreciate what you do. I always respected it."

"But not the archaeology."

"Consider it a blind spot. I respect you. I respect what you do for us every single day. I can't fathom how you can take a piece of clay that looks like a crow hopped all over it and save my life with it."

Daniel nodded, more to himself than to acknowledge Jack.

Jack continued, "This past week, I thought about what you said about intellectual fun. This is one of my ways. I enjoy these shows immensely. They make me think. Sometimes it's deep thoughts about my place in the universe; sometimes it's whether Amazon has a copy of the album. But I always come away with something more than I had when I walked in."

"Thank you, Jack."

"For what?"

"For the evening. For the coffee. For making the effort. I'll grant you a blind spot about archaeology. I have one about the military. It took awhile, but I see what you get from flying. It's the greatest freedom we can have. But how someone who obviously fell in love with something that freed him from earthbound perceptions can pick the most regimented way possible to do it confuses me."

"The Air Force has all the best toys." Jack stopped being flippant when he saw the look on Daniel's face. "That really is part of it. I could have some of the same freedom, maybe more, barnstorming in an old bi-plane, but I couldn't touch the boundary between atmosphere and space or be high enough to see the curvature of the Earth. Some of it is a sense of needing to pay rent for my existence. Protecting my country is my way of doing that. And, frankly, I'm not sure I could have paid for college. The Air Force gives me great opportunities and gave me a good education, but those gifts all have their prices. It's only been in the last couple of years that I haven't owed them time in return for training or schooling."

Daniel looked at his watch. "It's only just after one a.m. You more than met your deadline." He smiled. "Let's go home, Jack."

****  
They didn't talk much in the cab home. Daniel paid for the cab and started up the front walk. "Aren't you coming?"

"I wasn't sure you were."

"I can go home tonight. We can pick up the conversation over breakfast or lunch tomorrow, if you'd like." Daniel headed for his car.

"I'd rather you didn't drive this late at night." 

"Then I won't." He took an overnight bag out of the trunk. "I brought this in case."

"Aren't you keyed up? I always am after coffee this late."

"Are you nervous, Jack?"

"A little. I'm not sure what you've decided or what we need to talk about more."

"I've decided that whatever is between us is serious. I'm convinced that you respect me and can have fun without physical exhaustion. What we need to discuss is your career and how to protect it if this is to go further."

"Succinct."

"It's the military training. They always make me put a précis at the front of my reports."

"You know it's the only thing most of the brass read, don't you, Daniel?"

"Sure, but I keep hoping that somewhere there's a general or a senator who reads every word I write because he or she is so fascinated."

"I don't know about generals; I suspect most of them are still on 'See Spot run.' The President, though, he reads your reports."

"So. About our sleeping arrangements?"

"You're not planning on sleeping in the guest room?"

Daniel shook his head. "If you don't think it's safe for me to share a bed with you here, tonight, say so. The guest room's fine, but I'd like to stay with you tonight."

"I had Siler do his monthly bug sweep earlier today. It's probably safe. And if it isn't, I don't care."

"I do, Jack. But I trust Siler. So, I'm thinking pajama bottoms but not tops."

Jack blinked a couple of times, "That sounds really, really good."

****

Jack wasn't entirely certain what he'd been expecting, but Daniel had just wandered into the bathroom and changed for the night. When he came out, he'd asked Jack which side he preferred to sleep on and took the other one. 

The bedroom was dark when Jack got back from his bathroom run. He'd climbed in gingerly. Daniel had taken Jack's arm and pulled it over himself. 

***

Jack looked at the clock. It was 6:30 and a very sleepy Daniel was padding off to the bathroom. Somewhere in the night they'd shifted to their other sides. Daniel removing the arm he had around Jack's chest was what had awakened him.

"Do you need a bathroom break, Jack?" 

Jack's back was no longer cold -- six feet of warm archaeologist was plastered against it. He thought for a moment. "Yep."

When he came back Daniel was watching him. "While we were on M29-615, I looked at you a lot. You're sexy. I don't know why I hadn't noticed it before. Probably social conditioning."

That got a quiet chuckle from Jack as he came back into bed. "Your brain doesn't stop working -- even when you're so tired you can barely stay awake."

"It can be frustrating. It's weird to be so exhausted you can't move and still be wide awake because your mind is racing."

"Don't race. Go back to sleep."

Jack turned onto his side and nestled in. Daniel started to spoon up behind him.

The soft, wet kiss to the nape of his neck let Jack know that this wasn't just for warmth. He could feel Daniel harden against the back of his thigh.

Daniel had propped himself up on one arm in order to reach around and nibble Jack's jaw. 

Jack found himself hesitating for a few seconds. Daniel stopped. 

Then Jack turned on his back to face Daniel. He reached up and cupped his hand around the base of Daniel's skull and pulled him into a kiss. It was soft and slow. Daniel traced Jack's lips with his tongue, and Jack opened his mouth to catch it. 

"May I do some peaceful exploring?"

"Just exploring?" Jack tugged Daniel back up to his mouth and demanded more kissing.

"Mmmhmm. I want to see if I can make you appreciate archaeology."

Jack sputtered and fell back to the pillow. "Christ, I'm not that old."

Daniel laughed quietly. "No, no, I meant you might appreciate how much I can find out with my hands."

"Only hands?" Jack gave a little gasp as Daniel slid his hand across Jack's nipple.

"Hands can do a lot." He swirled his fingers a little to pink the nipple; he liked the sounds Jack made. "Mind you, so can lips, " he dragged his lips down Jack's throat, "and tongues." He flattened his hand over the one nipple and licked the other one into a little pebble. When he blew over it, Jack shivered and gave a little moan.

Jack's voice was husky as he said "Explore away."

Daniel smiled and kissed his breastbone. Jack lay back and enjoyed the sensation of Daniel's hands, mouth, and tongue wandering at will. 

Even so, it was something of a shock when Daniel got to the band of his pajamas. For one thing, he stopped. Jack opened his eyes and gazed down his body at Daniel.

"Who gave you permission to stop?"

"Permission?" Daniel propped himself on his elbows between Jack's legs.

"I was enjoying it. Besides, explorers aren't supposed to stop until they reach their goal."

He looked Jack in the eye. "This explorer wanted to make sure that the goal was OK with the idea."

"I think I could carve a pretty good sculpture with my cock at this point. The goal is standing up and cheering at the idea you're about to reach it."

Daniel looked down the length of Jack's body at the tent in his pajamas. "Yes, I can see that. Seriously, Jack, what are the limits here?"

"Anything you want." Jack pulled him into another melting kiss.

"Anything?" Daniel's breath warmed Jack's ear.

"Well, I'd rather not rush the 'where no man has gone before' thing, but, if it seems like the right thing to do, try it. I'm a grown-up, I can tell you to stop."

Daniel grinned. "You may be legal, but you're certainly not a grown-up." 

"Get to it. You have a trained to kill Colonel waiting to get off."

"Jack, there are some things I'm not going to attempt until I've not only read the book, but reviewed my notes. I may even have a PowerPoint presentation over the headboard for reference."

"PowerPoint presentations really turn you on, don't they?"

Daniel lowered himself enough to glide his erection over Jack's belly. "You can tell how much. Or maybe it's you."

The last thing Jack saw was a final flashing smile as Daniel pushed himself back down Jack's body. He'd pulled the covers over his head so Jack couldn't see what he was up to.

The first thing Jack felt was the drawstring on his pants being loosened. 

Then Daniel was between his legs. Jack felt a long wet strip of tongue go up the ridge of his cock. He tried to lift the covers to tell Daniel how good it felt, but Daniel had latched on tight, so he just lay back and enjoyed it.

When the tongue that had been tormenting him finally moved over its seeping head, Jack thought he'd gone to heaven. At least, he did until the teasing mouth stopped what it was doing and he felt little spits around his belly button. 

Daniel was obviously game for anything, though, because he went back to mouthing and curling his tongue around Jack's shaft. Then he stopped. 

Jack wasn't quite sure what was going on, but, after a moment, he felt little nibbles to the back of his right knee and up his thigh. The next thing he knew the same thing happened on the other side. It was nice, but he really wanted Daniel to get back to the licking thing.

Suddenly Daniel had Jack's balls in his mouth. Jack tried to lift the covers, but Daniel held them fast.

Jack came.

***

"Y'know I'm pretty certain that laughing and pointing isn't good bedroom etiquette."

"Be fair, Jack. I'm not pointing."

"Well, if you hadn't had such a death grip on the covers, I could have told you that my nuts don't like to be touched."

"Seems to me like they liked it too much."

"Yeah. Whatever." Jack mumbled.

He quickly had a face full of contrite Daniel who was apparently trying to kiss him and make it all better. Jack tumbled Daniel over and pulled up to look at his new lover.

Daniel just rubbed his spine against the mattress and made himself comfortable.

"I had a dog who used to do that."

"Do what."

"Roll on his back with a smile and a hard on. He even did that little wiggle thing."

"Well, I hope you didn't do to him what I want you to do to me, because that would be gross."

"And what, exactly, do you want me to do?"

"I'd say blow me, but since I really didn't like the taste ..."

"I noticed." Jack smiled down at Daniel.

"Since I didn't like the taste it wouldn't be fair to ask you to do it to me." Daniel completed his thought.

"You seemed okay with just the licking stuff."

Daniel ignored his comment and continued, "So in the spirit of 'do unto others as you're willing to do unto them'…"

"Not the Golden Rule I learned. And you were okay with the licking, right?"

"I was very okay with the licking. But this first time, I want to see your face. How about wrapping your hands around my cock and doing what comes naturally?"

"Pretend you're my P-90?"

"I hope not. You can jam that safety off pretty harshly."

"So I should jack you off?"

"Since I've already gotten Jack off, it seems like a fair trade."

Jack looked down Daniel's body and slid his hands under the elastic. He slid the pajama bottoms over Daniel's erection. "I thought you were born in Egypt?"

"You've never noticed before?"

"I don't really look in the locker room."

"I'm neither Jewish nor Muslim and neither were my parents."

"Ah." Jack reached into the drawer by his bed and found some lube. He slicked it on his hands and held the shaft tightly. He began to slide his hand up and down in a gentle rhythm. He was pleased when Daniel smiled and relaxed.

"I'm more surprised that you are -- circumcised, I mean. That feels really good."

"I'm glad. And I'm lucky that I *was* circumcised at birth. When I first entered the military, it was still required. You could go through basic without having to be cut -- just in case you washed out -- but once you'd passed you had to be circumcised. One of the kids in my first command reported late for that reason."

"Ouch. Why?" A gasp escaped from Daniel as Jack changed his grip and rhythm. "Keep doing that."

"It was considered cleaner. I don't know for sure when the requirement changed, but it was around the time the draft was abolished."

"A little faster, Jack. Please!"

"Your wish is my command."

Daniel chuckled. "Hardly."

"Well, in the bedroom."

Daniel was too busy enjoying what Jack was doing to comment. Jack kept sliding his hand firmly and rapidly up Daniel's shaft. He loved watching Daniel's face as climax neared. 

Finally, when it was clear Daniel was about to fall over the edge, Jack leaned over and kissed him. Daniel's cock shuddered as his orgasm splashed onto his chest and belly.

***

They slept late.

When Jack finally couldn't wait any longer, he got up and started breakfast. He looked at the clock. Brunch. A late brunch.

Within a few minutes he heard the shower going, he debated going upstairs and joining Daniel but decided they both needed a few minutes to adjust.

By the time Daniel came downstairs, brunch was ready. Daniel was smiling a little tentatively, but there was joy in his eyes -- more joy than Jack remembered seeing since the first time they'd saved the planet.

"Good morning, Jack."

"A very good morning indeed." His fake Irish accent caused Daniel to laugh a little.

Jack finished serving up the plates and put one down by Daniel. Daniel'd automatically found the juice and coffee and served them up while splitting the newspaper the usual way between them.

They read the paper together, as they had many mornings. Jack kept sneaking looks at Daniel until Daniel finally put his section down. "What's up, Jack."

"Smile like that again, and I'll be way up."

"Somehow, I hadn't expected breakfast banter."

"Yeah. About that."

Daniel's face got serious. "Regrets?"

"Two. The big one is that we'd never done that before." Jack didn't miss Daniel's look of relief.

"What's the little one?"

"That we didn't talk about the consequences first. And even with that, I still think we made the right call by sharing a bed last night."

"Even though I pushed things?"

"You know all the good places to push. And one bad one."

Daniel crossed his heart. "I promise never to touch your balls again without a written invitation."

It was Jack's turn to laugh. "I meant to ask you and got distracted. Do you like having someone playing with your nuts?"

To Jack's astonishment, Daniel blushed. "Yeah, Jack. When someone I love has my balls in her -- or in your case, his -- hands, it really feels great."

"I'll bear that in mind."

A silence fell.

Finally, Daniel broke it. "The way I see it, there are three scenarios."

"For what?"

"Our future relationship."

"OK. What's the first one?"

"That after our long weekend in Denver, one of us turns to the other and says 'it was fun, but I don't think I can do this.'"

"Weekend in Denver?"

"I'll get to that."

"All right. The first scenario just isn't going to happen from my side. I may be slow on the uptake, but I heard what you just said. And I love you too. We're together."

Daniel's face brightened. "I didn't think it was a real possibility -- certainly not on my part -- but it had to be mentioned."

"Fair enough. Scenario two."

"We decide that this weekend, maybe the whole week, is a moment out of time. It lets us get to know each other, but it's a promise for our future."

"How far in the future?"

"Your retirement from the military. Until then, you're at too much risk for Leavenworth."

"I can file my papers tomorrow."

"No you can't. It's Sunday."

Jack tossed his used napkin at Daniel's head.

"And the Air Force isn't required to accept your retirement. Frankly, I don't think they would at this point. You get along with the Asgard, you've saved the Earth a few times, and you've learned to speak Ancient."

"I can swear in Goa'uld, too."

"Teal'c may never be forgiven for that."

"So you're suggesting attempting the world's record for engagement length?"

"It's the best way to keep you safe."

"And a week from Monday, someone could be shooting at us again. Where's the safety?"

"That had crossed my mind too."

"Am I going to like scenario three any better?"

"There are two choices with scenario three." Daniel looked thoughtful for a moment. "Maybe more."

"Scenario three choice one, then."

"We keep going with this. Maybe choose to limit our bedroom activities…"

Jack snorted. "Well I wasn't planning to lay you on the high altar of someone's palace off-world."

"I meant 'no anal penetration' because we never know which orifices Janet will check on our mission return physicals. Or at least make sure we don't do anything physically obvious before the big exams."

"Ah. I hadn't thought that one through yet. You'd have to be able to blow me though."

Daniel laughed. "Jack, I promise, the day after you suck me off like a Hoover, I'll give you the best blow job of your life."

Jack remembered their second go round and his first attempt at sucking. Spunk was going to be an acquired taste. "So then, really limited bedroom activities?"

"But we'd be together and taking a huge risk with your freedom. That part of it has to be your decision because it's your risk."

"I don't think it is a risk. Hammond will shoot my retirement papers to the Pentagon and make it clear the retirement should be approved. The secrecy of the Stargate program and the fact that Thor likes me pretty much guarantees that courtesy, no matter what his personal views on gay relationships might be. "

"And the NID? They're just going to let us be? Face it, they're more likely to leave you on a remote planet with a pint of water and a powerbar than send you to Leavenworth, but they'd have no qualms about your disgrace or sending you to prison."

"Which leaves choice two."

"We tell Teal'c and Sam," Daniel saw the look on Jack's face. "Hear me out. Our relationship is going to have an impact on the team. If they discover our relationship any other way, they are, at the very least, going to be hurt and at most be vindictive."

"That's hard to picture."

"Yeah, I wouldn't like to see either of them on the warpath. I think Teal'c would be easier because you could see him coming. Sam is sneaky."

"How? When would we tell them?"

"Soon. We can talk about the how in a minute. First, though… If we tell them, they have to be able to tell us they don't approve or won't permit it or whatever. Then we can try to follow through on our retirements. I think they'll both allow us that dignity."

"Carter would be violating her oath as an officer."

"And we don't really know Teal'c's views on homosexuality. It's a huge gamble, and it's very much their risk too, once they know. If they accept us on the team together, that is."

"I need to think about this. A lot."

"We both do."

"And the weekend in Denver."

"Tell me there's a game in Denver this weekend? Some sport you adore and want to see in person?"

"There's a college basketball game tonight and a professional one on Monday."

"Perfect. Call and see if you can get tickets, preferably to both."

Jack dialed Ticketmaster and found they could attend both games. It helped that Denver was having a terrible season.

"OK. Why did I just spend nearly two hundred dollars?'

"Plausible deniability. I've already made reservations for us to see a special exhibit at the museum tomorrow. It's leaving within two weeks. So we now have perfect reasons to spend time in Denver."

"Which means what?"

"Which means I can go buy books about gay sex for cash in a store where no one knows me. There's not a bookstore in Colorado Springs that doesn't have at least one member of staff I'm friendly with. Denver has one bookstore that I frequent. If I go to some anonymous Borders and pay cash, we're home free."

"We are planning to go 'where no man has gone before'?"

Daniel smiled. "Bad metaphor Jack. I'll have a PowerPoint presentation on anal penetration over your bed in no time."

"And since we're planning to see two games and an exhibit, the fact that we're both in a hotel in Denver for three nights isn't likely to raise any flags."

"Yeah. There's one motel that I stay at that has adjoining rooms, or we could take the cheaper option and share a room with two beds."

Jack assessed the plan. "We go to a bigger chain place where no one is likely to know either of us and do the room sharing thing. As long as we make both beds look slept in, we're just a couple of buddies who are in town together." Jack looked at Daniel with amused admiration. "You have the makings of an intelligence operative."

"Takes one to know one. And while we're there exploring the city, and each other, we decide."

"I think the decision's been made. You're worth the risk. All the risks. We'll tell Sam and Teal'c and give them their chance to tell us to get out -- either of the team or the program."

Daniel smiled. "We may need to tell Janet, too."

"Let's just take out an ad in the paper."

"As far as how to tell them, I think we should invite them both over for a late lunch on Wednesday. Teal'c likes the dancing, and Sam wants to try it. It gives us a reason for inviting them."

"And no matter what happens, we go out to dance."

"I'm glad you know how to have fun, Jack."


End file.
